Last year I did a lot of swimming in Loch Morlich, Cairngorms. In the summer there were signs saying 'WARNING stay out of the water - Algae'. This is a summer thing, hot temperatures. I was still swimming there in December, in the snow, and the signs were still up.

Today I swam in another loch and it had signs saying the same but dated for June.

When camping, I always drink the lake/loch water. Boiled or treated. And I swim - a lot.

Anyone got sick from this stuff? Apparently it can kill dogs!!

I heard it was just to cover arses from liability. Just like no swimming in dammed water. (The walled type, not the stuff found in church fonts).

The official line is that Blue - green algae can ....

Exposure to high levels of blue-green algae and their toxins can cause diarrhea, nausea or vomiting; skin, eye or throat irritation; and allergic reactions or breathing difficulties.

It can, and does, make folk very ill.

It seldom covers the whole of a loch though, especially one with a good wash-through from rivers. Locally, we normally expect Morlich to be fine (maybe apart from the SW end), Pityoulish is normally OK, Vaa can be problematic. Loch Morlich Watersports and Loch Insh regularly test. If they're letting folk out, it should be fine. One of the local swimming instructors also pays for water quality reports and tends to stick to Loch Morlich

Anatoxin-a is also known as Very Fast Death Factor. it is found in some forms of cyanobacteria (better known as blue green algae)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIavxAm4Mts

Supposedly due to supply chain issues, the Environmental Agency are letting some water treatment plants but non-fully-treated effluent into rivers etc which is likely to cause more algae. Better get swimming sooner rather than later.

yourguitarhero wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 8:45 am Supposedly due to supply chain issues, the Environmental Agency are letting some water treatment plants but non-fully-treated effluent into rivers etc which is likely to cause more algae. Better get swimming sooner rather than later.

The amount of raw sewage that has been entering our river systems for quite some time is staggering and frightening, and as you’ve mentioned, thanks to Brexit related supply chain issues it’s only going to get worse.

Here’s a very interesting talk about the dire state of our rivers from a few weeks ago, there’s no way I’d be swimming in our rivers!

https://youtu.be/5ID0VAUNANA

(For anyone who spends time in or on our waterways it’s a must watch)

There were reports of a family dying from blue-green algae, but don’t know if it’s been proven

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-58288482

George Monbiot had some pretty good stuff about it a month or two ago.

It's really saddening and overwhelming when you see just how badly we are polluting our world

This is from Government, due to "supply chain failures", Coronavirus and the "UK's new relationship with Europe!!" you can discharge effluent outside of the terms of your permit, so feel free to do what you like into our rivers and waterways!

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... lure-rps-b

This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands,--This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.”

Richard II
WShakespeare

More "this septic isle"

After every swim I now have this subconscious habit to spit and clear my nose for half an hour. Not pretty.

Yesterday I had amazing, almost tropical, swim in Loch Awe. The heat!

Afterwards I snorkelled around collecting broken bottles, a big problem in Scotland (Glaswegians and pike fishermen - the locals say) and found hundreds of leeches.
So if you see a man by a swimming area, spitting and snorting and searching his body cavities - please don't call the police - it might be me.

Ps. From experience, be wary of entering water near fishing spots or with camping/fire rings, especially in Scotland. I wear swimming shoes.



David Walliams swam the Thames. And the more wild swimming becomes popular, it's growing very fast, the more attention it will bring to water quality.